Fact of the Day: 31/12/2020

What is antimatter? Sounds like a cool sci-fi term from a Star Trek movie, but it actually exists right here on Earth at a lab called CERN, or the European Organization For Nuclear Research. Antimatter is the exact opposite of matter: it has the opposite spin and atomic makeup of regular matter. For example, instead of being made up of protons and electrons, antimatter atoms are made up of anti-protons and positrons (anti-electrons). But why are we studying antimatter? What implications does it have for science and our world? It turns out that antimatter alone is very stable, much like matter. However, when antimatter and matter meet, annihilation occurs and a burst of energy is released. This means that if we could create enough antimatter, we could very likely have a new power source! Star Trek, here we come.

Join Us on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of Each Month at 1:30 PM EST!